This course explores animals within the context of the functional relationships that sociologists call “institutions.” We first examine the use of animals in laboratory science. We then examine the controversial transformation of animals into “livestock” and "meat." We also explore the perspectives of people committed to rejecting the construction and use of animals as food. Next, we focus on some of the roles of animals in human entertainment with particular attention to dog fighting and zoos. Finally, we investigate animal health and welfare through the lens of dilemmas in veterinary medicine and decisions in animal shelters.
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Animals and Society SpecializationUniversity of Colorado BoulderAbout this Course
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Course 2 of 3 in the
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Beginner Level
Approx. 5 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish
What you will learn
Describe the status of animals used in research.
Identify the trends that led to modern industrial livestock production in the United States.
Determine the most appropriate roles of zoos in modern societies.
Identify dilemmas faced by veterinarians and animal shelter workers.
Skills you will gain
Animal welfareSociological concepts
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 2 of 3 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
Approx. 5 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish
Offered by
University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1 hour to complete
Science
In this module, you will gain familiarity with the issues that shape the use of animals in scientific research and underlie the controversy surrounding it.
1 hour to complete
4 videos (Total 26 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
1 hour to complete
Agriculture
In this module, you will learn about the system through which animals are transformed into “livestock.”
1 hour to complete
3 videos (Total 22 min)
1 hour to complete
Sport, Entertainment, and Education
In this module, you will investigate how animals are central to how humans spend their leisure time.
1 hour to complete
4 videos (Total 30 min)
2 hours to complete
Health and Welfare
In this module, you will examine the social worlds of veterinary medicine and animal sheltering.
2 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 30 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM ANIMALS AND INSTITUTIONS
by RROct 10, 2020
Really enjoyed the course!! Learned about the way we treat animals and perceive their existence.
About the Animals and Society Specialization
Animals matter for human existence in so many ways that it is difficult to imagine the entity we call “society” without them. They figure heavily in our language, food, clothing, family structure, economy, education, entertainment, science, recreation, and other areas of social life. In this specialization, we will investigate a range of topics, many of them controversial. Although this is a sociology course, the field of human-animal studies is interdisciplinary. Many of the suggested readings come from fields outside of sociology, but this specialization emphasizes their sociological relevance throughout each course.
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